Four to Dinner is an Italian Netflix movie that explores the concepts of true love, soulmates and compatibility between different men and women. While there are no same-sex pairings (sadly), the concept is basically the same as Sliding Doors, with a few distinct differences.
Storyline
This film tells the story of four people - Matteo, Dario, Chiara and Giulia - who are in different relationships during the 100-minute running time and act as a big "what if" scenario between alternate realities.
Although it has an ambiguous ending, it leaves a lot to the imagination.
Who tells the story?
The whole point of this movie stems from the opening scene during the rooftop dinner. Luke and Sarah argue with another couple they're friends with over whether their soulmates really exist. Both men disagree with Luke, who maintains that it is not.
For most of the runtime, we see different pairings - Giulia and Matteo, Chiara and Dario, Chiara and Matteo, Giulia and Dario - and clues remain as to which one is the best fit. With key moments in their lives overlapping, including pregnancy, marriage and subsequent separations, the film cleverly shifts narrative perspectives to keep you constantly guessing.
How does it end at four to lunch?
As the movie ends, Luca invites the two couples to join them on the roof. Of course, others want to know who ended up with whom. Luca was clear from the beginning, now he reiterated that relationships are not always about compatibility.
It's more about the effort and time you put into building a relationship, using your partner's strength to embrace what life throws at you and become stronger together.
The truth is that no one is made for anyone. So when Matteo, Chiara, Dario and Giulia finally join them, the film doesn't confirm who the real couples are. This, after all, is the point of the entire film, the greater love, the unpredictability, and the lack of such a thing as a "perfect" relationship.
It has a true self-reflective tone that can be felt in each of the different realities. The ambiguous ending is the final open-ended cherry on top of this cake.
And who was together?
At a wild guess, there are a few clues as to who are the real couples and which are red herrings made by Luke. The scenes with the most screen time and the best chemistry are worth noting. Of course, take what I say here with a grain of salt, but there are hints throughout the film as to who the real couples are.
Right at the end of the film, just before the four characters arrive for dinner, Giulia and Matteo appear together, holding hands, as do Chiara and Dario, who arrive in a silver car. There's a quick edit to show the Giulia exiting, but it feels like a red herring. If you pause as the car pulls up, Chiara is actually in the front seat.
There is almost nothing to show Matteo and Chiara together, except for a few shots in the background. Also, when the camera pans up from the rooftop dinner, Matteo and Giulia are standing together, while Dario and Chiara are closer. So, in our opinion, these are the couples who bring it to dinner - Matteo and Giulia, along with Dario and Chiara.
But that's just our two cents, and the film ends ambiguously, leaving that open to interpretation. Ultimately, love is unpredictable and hard to figure out - and isn't that really the point this ending was trying to make?
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